my journal: various subjects, opinionating, CW at times

@mytwistedsoul I haven't yet but I heard about it a minute ago, thanks 😂

@slowdecline48 You're welcome 😁 One of these days I'll have to catch a chat that you're in lol

...s***. 💩.

F$€πsticks.

Had a flareup yesterday afternoon, & my output vent* has been alternately itching & fiery all weekend....having the runs once didn't help, either. And right now I've been up over half the f***ing night again.

There is much to accomplish this week. However I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't get as much done as I should. As long as I'm above ground I still have a chance, I suppose...

As always, we shall see how it plays out.

@slowdecline48 That really sucks Slow. I hope the worst of it has passed and you and you "vent" 😅 feeling better 😊

Are you stressing things? Can that trigger flare ups? 

@slowdecline48 Rain is good but not all at once in a deluge! "Jesus on toast"  😂 is that any good? sorry sorry I had to 😬😁

@mytwistedsoul I wouldn't know, I've never tried it. The last time I made toast, I put brown sugar & cinnamon & butter on it....whether or not Jesus on toast tastes good probably depends on what brand you're buying.

@slowdecline48 I'll have to try the brown sugar with cinnamon. I've only ever used regular sugar with it. 

@mytwistedsoul That was Hurricane Beryl!

@slowdecline48 I just saw alittle about it. knocked power out for a lot of people and some serious flooding risks. Will it affect your area any? 

Fortunately no...the storm bypassed us completely. I guess Beryl had an axe to grind for Texas & didn't give a d**n about Florida. 😏

Me: Despite the initial flare-up today, it was a good evening...picked up a few things I'll need later, then had dinner with a couple beers. So tired now...maybe I'll get some sleep...

My GI tract: Nahhhh. You're gonna hafta empty me at about three in the morning. Then you will listen to my commentary on it every 20 minutes to half-hour until I'm finished, whenever that is. 👹💩

Also, this:

That one keeps getting "hearts" too...guess it struck a nerve with a few people here. Yeah...looking for the scene is a common mistake. I committed that error into my mid-20's at least, before I finally figured it out.

The price of Pt per oz. as of about 17 minutes ago. Opening price is also marked. I have very little of it, & so check the chart every so often.

Update: As of a bit over two weeks ago, the H00ters reviewed above was closed down. Someone in managemt finally realized that little grease trap wasn't worth the time & expense, & this world has been improved by just that much. 

[CW: politics, my opinion]

Today was an off day, so I didn't do much...did get two important tasks done, but that was it. This late afternoon I had sufficient time for this:

Also, a few days ago I responded thusly:

More screenshots; nothin' else right now...

An interesting prediction. I don't agree with Ge K's first sentence--the Federal Reserve will certainly drop the interest rate by 25 basis points or more if JPow* thinks the economy requires it. He & the other shotcallers in the Fed go by the data; JPow has made that clear. If the economy starts to slow down they will cut the rate, for sure. The rest of the prediction, though...wouldn't be surprised if the bottom drops out of the commercial real estate market. Maybe out of residential real estate too...I hope.

Because then I might be able to invest in a bit more, depending. 🤞🏼

One of the better articles I've seen about the federal debt crisis. You can check it out here. If you live in the US then you definitely need to read it.

*JPow = Internet acronym for Jerome Powell, the current top man in the Federal Reserve.

Sure, I rip on the Democrats a lot & don't care for Biden at all...but.

Wouldn't want you to think I'm part of Trump's base, gentle readers. For I am not & never have been. What I'd really like is decent candidates for a change...or a better government than what we have right now. But that's a discussion that probably isn't appropriate for CupsLand.

So far this week:

• Rented an automobile. It's a mini-SUV or something...a Subaru. Learning the controls was a pain in the a.s.s; they're still irritating AF. Prior to this, the latest vehicle I owned was a Saturn--from 2005. Soooo much driving & it's not over yet. Quite stressful for a man who spent the last four years getting around by foot, bicycle & rideshare apps....but I know one thing:
• My old hybrid bike, as good as it is, is not up to the demands of a rural environment. I may have to get a second wheeled horse...a mountain bike. Gonna need knobby tires & front suspension. The hybrid beater will he strictly for getting around town. Whichever town it will be. I will eventually need motorized transport too. It'll have to be a truck. A compact car will not do, not for this.
• I woke up from a flying dream. You know those dreams, where you have the ability to fly/levitate. Haven't had a dream like that in a good while & never as extreme as this one...I went so far, so fast, through an imaginary world. Flying away from...what? But forward, too. Ended up looking down at some kind of solar system a million miles below me, I was out in space... Exhilarating. But exhausting.
• I am not one to put stock in dreams, but I have a feeling this one was telling me something--& that there will be more phantasmagorical dreams like it.

So I saw two properties yesterday. The day before that I scavenged some water oak from a huge woodpile in one of the residential areas of town (the tree removal crew was cutting up something they'd felled. They were helpful), drove it home, hauled the logs up the stairs & stacked 'em on the patio. Am tired & achy now....

This is only the beginning.

Am realizing again what I knew as of maybe three weeks ago: this purchase & the building of what I will need to live on it--eventually a house--will be unlike almost anything else I've done in my life so far.

The first 1.5 to two years will be the hardest. If I do things right, it'll get easier after that.

Gotta be honest here: I am a bit nervous about it all... I just hope I'm up to the job.

It will be an adventure for sure.

There are so many godd**n problems to solve. More will surface once I'm there, wherever "there" is. I haven't decided yet. Still gotta see a 3rd parcel. I started thinking & planning weeks ago but still...once I decide which one & buy it, the real work will begin. When my lease runs out & I finally move to wherever the land will be...

"Luck be a lady tonight."

@slowdecline48 You got this Slow! It'll be hard work for sure but the end result will be amazing! 

@mytwistedsoul 😄 A guy I know on the west coast said the same thing when I told him about it... "You got a s***load of effort in front, but I promise there is a Valhalla beyond."

My California buddy thinks I should document this whole thing & post it somewhere. He suggested Rumble, which I'm unfamiliar with. Not sure whether I'd do it, as I will have enough on my plate already...

If I were to take videos I would post them somewhere other than YT. Google owns YT, so it's part of the evil empire.

@slowdecline48 Idk much about rumble either tbh. It's supposed to be pretty good though. I see videos from there on alot of other platforms but haven't really spent much time there. They're against the whole cancel culture nonsense and hey they compete against google lol 

It would be pretty cool to see but idk - I can understand it would be alot of extra work while you're already trying to do other work 😕 

Currently sitting in my rental vehicle in the town where the 2nd parcel is located. Parked because it's raining like the wrath of god outside...no point in going to the parcel when it's like this.

Nothin' to do but sit & wait.

Of course we can't forget the thunder & lightning. 🙄

Well, well, well...do tell, my neighbor, do tell.

Had a quiet convo with another resident a few minutes ago. She's been in this anthill longer than anybody: 14 years. So she knows everything that goes on here.

Do any of you remember that guy in hospice I helped out for a while, last year? Upon discovering his place was empty & being remodeled, I wrote a poem about him here, "Dirge". Turns out January 18th was the date of his death. Also the woman I talked to lived right next to him!...all this time & I didn't know it. The unpleasant piece of info was this:

Not long after Walt died, someone broke a window & prowled around his apartment. Both she & I are pretty sure about who it was. Obviously the guy was looking for drugs (Walt was on several prescriptions), probably to take & then sell the rest. The thief is also in this anthill, just across the parking lot from there.

I can't wait to get out of this s**theap.

@slowdecline48 I do remember you talking about him and the poem. That's just horrible that there are people like that. I've heard horror stories about how people will even go as far to check the obituaries so they can case the houses. And this person even lives where you do. Just be careful Slow. Try not to let this person find out you're planning on moving or gonna be away from the place for an extended time. Maybe some timers for light wouldn't be a bad idea. That way it might make it look like your still there at night

I was thinking to about when you do decide on a property and start putting things out there. You'll have to make sure you've got a way to secure things because some people are opportunists and will take anything they can get their hands on 😕 It sucks that out world has come to this

@mytwistedsoul Good points. Two-legged filth are everywhere, but some places have a higher vermin population than others--that's one of the reasons I'm leaving this place early next year.

Storage space can be rented but for me, that is only an option if nothing else is possible. I'm moving to stop paying rent every month, not to pay it in perpetuity. Lockable storage sheds can be purchased. I'm thinking of a couple all-steel ones. They come in pieces & have to be assembled, though... The main thing is to anchor them to the ground so they can't be thrown into a truck bed or just dragged off. Pouring a small concrete 10x10 pad?...it's doable, but would be a lot of work for me. Perhaps it's worth it. The only other issue is how to attach the shed to the pad...I can't think of any way to do so that doesn't involve welding, & I've never been a welder. (Also, you need electricity to run welding gear)

I may need to hire help at some point. I can do it...but I don't want to unless I have to. My overall plan only requires help before & after I get a storage container: pouring the foundation for the container-house, & wiring it up for utilities. Those tasks, I need professionals for.

One thing I know I can do is build forms to pour wet concrete into; all that is is careful layout, some digging, & putting together 2x4's & 1x6's. Maybe after I could put up a couple storage sheds, build forms around the walls & pour some more into those? For that, I figure 2" thick walls with bolts going into the concrete from inside the sheds should be enough...except. That just screams "VALUABLES INSIDE" which, to bad guys, translates to "steal my stuff, please". I keep a low profile as much as I can...that's probably one reason my apartment has never been broken into my entire time here. 

@slowdecline48 Yeah something like that and you have just advertised lol. What about a smaller shipping container? It would be too heavy for someone to just take off with and you could anchor it if you wanted to with earth anchors and cables. Might save you some time and work not having to deal with welding and pouring concrete. Or rent an auger and and pour footers like you would for deck posts and put your anchors in them. Just some thoughts and It's not a 100% fool proof of course. But I figure if anyone is really determined there's not much that will stop them

@mytwistedsoul I didn't know about "earth anchors"...will have to look into it. Thanks mucho.

In the meantime, more news & commentary:

I hope whoever is in charge of deciding the above (the general staff?) aren't focused on air combat to the exclusion of everything else. If the 21st century has taught us anything, it is that asymmetric war/"gray war" will play as much a role in future conflicts as conventional interstate war...if not more so. The days when a great battle on a field decided who won/lost are long gone.

Well played, Kamala. Well played.

If you know, you know.

@PineTreeTree ⬆️ Just to not disappoint you. 😆

@slowdecline48 you have succeed in confusing me but that’s not new 😂

what am I disappointed or not disappointed in?

@PineTreeTree That I kept talking about politics. 😃

@slowdecline48 ah 😂 

MY THOUGHTS SO FAR

Seen two parcels as of now; will see a 3rd one tomorrow. That will be the only day possible this week due to the weather, dammit. Traits:

1. In K____ H____. 1.19 acres. Many trees but most of 'em are small pines; maybe four big ones--I would let the live oak one stand, initially. Most of 'em I could cut down & process myself if I'm careful...very quiet neighborhood. The neighbors keep to themselves but also notice if a strange person shows up, which is good. The soil is sandy...might be dirt fill on top of the original ground. Off the beaten path, which I like...but. All the nearby roads are dirt. One big storm will wash out some of 'em...who knows when they'll be fixed after that. I'd have to pack in a ton of stuff, especially for the first year there! No way can I live there without a pickup truck. My old bike won't do; if I want to ride then a MTB with front shocks will be a must. (That may be true everywhere) For any gardening or planting, soil improvement will be necessary.
2. In S____, 1 acre. For a great price...but there are reasons why. It is in a flood zone. The nearest neighbor had to buy several tons of dirt infill so his/their house would be two feet higher...enough so it wouldn't get flooded every time it rains. Three lakes within driving (maybe cycling) distance. It faces a state road & a dirt side road so being able to get in/out wouldn't be an issue. That makes it a corner lot--will appreciate in value > a non-corner lot. Much taller trees--mostly pines, a few live oak--tall enough that felling them would be dangerous. Am still willing to try it but I would need help at some point, esp. if I cut one & it gets caught & hung up in another tree...a real possibility, since they're all rather close together. Hauling in tons of dirt infill might complicate things later when it's time to pour a foundation. And all the trees would have to be cleared. This place would require way more work than the first one.

The third one I will see tomorrow afternoon.

Decisions, decisions...

@mytwistedsoul -

A follow-up to our previous discussion, Twisty: one of the best ways to secure one's valuables, of course, is to not leave them where a thief would expect them to be.

I don't have many expensive things, but what I do have that's valuable is easily hidden. In fact the last time I caught a flight to the northeast to see a relative, I stashed them outside my apartment. Anyone who broke in wouldn't find anything unless he looked for at least a day in the most inconvenient places possible.

On an acre+ of undeveloped land there's 1,001+ places to hide a small--or even mid-sized--object.

@slowdecline48 You're absolutely right! It would be really easy to tuck things here and there in the undergrowth. Most days you would probably be out there too so the only opportunity any would be theif would have would be at night which would make it even harder for them

Update: I decided against the 3rd parcel. For my purposes it's the most suitable one but it is in the smallest town I've been in in FL so far...a wide spot in the road. Blink & you'll miss it. It does face a paved road but the road itself is not new, though it isn't patched either. It is way out in the boonies...the paved road is the only one for miles; all the others are hardpacked dirt & gravel. Good relations with neighbors would be paramount there because aside from them, I'd be thrown back on my own resources. Completely.

If a hurricane ever goes through the area, chances are at least a couple of nearby dirt roads would be washed out. In such a scenario, until the county fixes them I (& my neighbors) would be cut off from everything.

The town itself is an unincorporated area. It doesn't even have a supermarket anywhere.

On top of all that, it is the priciest parcel I've seen yet...not unaffordable, but still. 💵💵

Were I 20 years younger with no chronic conditions, I would be up for the challenge. But I'm not.

So it comes down to the first two.

I have about 48 hours to decide.